The present invention relates to the fields of horticulture and landscaping, and, more particularly, to an improved crate for use in growing and transplanting plants, hedges and/or trees, and to an improved method of transplanting plants, hedges and/or trees.
Typically, retail and wholesale sellers of plants and trees grow their plants and trees directly in the ground and/or in plant pots which can vary in size in accordance with the size and root system characteristics of the plants or trees. In order to sell a plant or tree which has been grown directly in the ground, the plant is dug-up and placed in a pot which is sold with the plant to the buyer. The buyer must later remove the plant or tree from the pot, either by directly pulling it out of the pot or by turning the pot upside-down and pulling it from the pot, in order to transplant the plant or tree into the ground at a desired location. The action of digging the plant or tree from the ground and the action of pulling the plant from the pot, can injure the root system of the plant or tree and/or cause shock in the plant or tree, either of which can result in death after transplanting.
In particular, serious injury or shock can occur in many plants or trees when the root ball is pulled apart when trying to remove the plant or tree from the pot. In some instances, part of the root ball will be torn off and remain in the pot when the plant is removed therefrom, which results in bare root transplanting of the plant or tree, thereby increasing the likelihood of death once transplanted. This is a particular problem for landscapers or the like who often transplant many plants and trees on a single job by pulling them from pots. Landscapers typically provide a guarantee that a transplanted plant or tree will live for at least a certain period of time. When plants or trees die prematurely as a result of root damage or shock caused by transplanting, it results in considerable expense to the landscaper by having to replace the dead plants or trees. The risk of death is increased when a plant or tree is dug-up or pulled from a pot during the critical dormant growing time of the plant or tree. In fact, many sellers of plants or trees lose sales during the dormant growing times because they cannot dig-up plants or trees during dormant times without a high likelihood that the plant or tree will die as a result thereof.
While known plant pots come in a variety of sizes and shapes, they are only designed to hold a single plant or tree. Thus, if a person wants to form a hedge or the like including a number of similar plants, such as hemlocks, it is necessary to buy numerous separate plants and later transplant the plants in a row to define the hedge. In other words, with known types of plant pots, it is not possible to buy directly from a plant seller a predefined or established plant hedge unit having a plurality of plants therein. It is also not possible with known plant pots to transplant an entire plant hedge including a plurality of individual plants as a single hedge unit.
Thus, a need exists for a method and device for use in growing and transplanting plants and trees, which method and device minimizes shock and disruption to the root system of plants or trees when transplanted. A further need exists for a method and device which enables pre-established hedges or the like to be sold and transplanted as a single hedge unit.